It's the End of the World As We Know It and I Feel Fine

Thursday

We left Rocky Harbour at 9 this morning heading for L'Anse aux Meadows. We were on the look out for moose the entire trip.  I spotted three today! Thankfully they have kept a respectable distance from the road.

We stopped at The Arches Provincial Park.  Very simply,  there is a rock formation just at the shoreline that looks like an arched bridge.

The drive to L'Anse aux Meadows was about 5 hours long. Along the roadside we kept seeing small fenced in areas that we later discovered were individual gardens that locals have set up. The reason they set them up along the roadside is due to the fact that the soil along the side of the road is more fertile for growing vegetables than say the land where their homes are located.  Road constuction crews have dug and mixed up the soil making if easy for gardening.

We have literally arrived at the end of the earth. At least that's what it feels like. We are at the most northern tip of Newfoundland. This area has exceptionally beautiful scenery but is rather desolate. Very small communities of housea scatter in clumps on the shoreline periodically. The best word to describe it would be peaceful. We easily found our B&B, The Viking Village, for the next two nights. 

After settling in we headed to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. This is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The land was originally a meadow as the Norse would have found it when they landed over 1000 years ago. We took a guided tour presented by Tina,  a Parks Canada employee. She clarified for us that the group of people who visited L'Anse aux Meadows was not Viking, they were Norse. The distinction?   Vikings are raiders. The Norse travelled to L'Anse aux Meadows for supplies, mainly lumber and grapes. They were travelling from Greenland where there was a community of 500 Norse.  About 90 people were set up at L'Anse aux Meadows. The Norse visited 4 times in total before the settlement was burned. 

On the grounds,  there is the original site of the settlement which has been excavated and is now grassy covered mounds. Past this section is a reconstructed site so visitors can get an idea of what the actual settlement looked like. The sod huts have 6 foot wide walls with R100 insulation value. The walls are made of a peat, sand, peat layer. The building was outfitted with items the Norse would have used while at the settlement. Guests are welcome to try on clothes, helemets, and pick up swords and shields. Since Viking exploration is a part of grade 6 curriculum, Kim and I thought it would be very educational for our students if they saw us in appropriate Viking/Norse gear. So thanks to our photographer, Sharon, we will both have excellent slide shows for our future students. The walk to and from the site was beautiful.

We headed to The Norseman for dinner. I enjoyed the butternut squash soup and some shrimp!

Friday

After my morning run and breakfast we discovered a coffee bar called Coffee by the Cove just around the corner from our B&B. We met the owner of Coffee by the Cove. Cheryl had recently sold her bookstore in Toronto and bought a house overlooking the ocean in L'Anse aux Meadows. She renovated the house into her cafe. The walls were painted brightly, in multicolours. They reminded me of the houses that line the streets of St. John's. her cafe has only been open for one week. Cheryl was interviewed by CBC Radio on Thursday. Cheers to the prosperity of her new business.

After being suitably caffeinated we headed to Norstead which is a not for profit replica of a Viking Village and Trading post. We visited the Chieftian's House, church, and the Blacksmith's Shop. But the true treasure of the site was The Snorri, a reproduction of a Viking ship. The Snorri was built in America and sailed from Greenland to L'Anse aux Meadows to replicate the journey of the Vikings. The journey took 72 days and the Snorri is now located in the boat house at Norstead. The highlight of the tour was the axe throwing activity. Guests were permitted to throw an axe over their shoulder at a large wood pile with the goal of getting the axe to stick in the pile. I was awesome at this skill. There is photographic evidence to prove it. 

And that's about all you can do in L'Anse aux Meadows. So we headed down the road to St. Anthony's for the view from the lighthouse, restaurant,  and mini museum. While finishing our lunch Kim noticed some commotion outside. A whale had been sighted. We rushed out to see a whale dip and dive its way around the bay. 

We enjoyed dinner at The Norsman again.  Tonight was lobster night. Lobster season is over but the resaurant keeps its lobster catch in the warf and feeds them until they are ready to be food. So my lobster was fresh from the ocean!

Looking for live music, Kim and I headed to the spot recommended by the waitress at The Norseman. We arrived at the club under the watchful gaze and curiosity of the locals. We entered the club to what can only be described like the town itself, peaceful. So...

We ended the day on our deck, toasting the ocean, and watching the day fade into night.